The calm before the storm (Francois)

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix took another bite of the overly sugared pastry, a touch of  icing sugar speckling his clothes as he turned the page in the manual he was reading. The new equipment he was editing was giving him trouble, and with his classes doen for the day, the radio host was indent on trying to find a solution. 
to be perfectly honest, the school's radio was a welcome distraction from recent events, from the chaos of the attacks by fellow mutants to the threat of SPECTRE hanging over the school, to his own personal issues... Let's just say Felix needed to throw himself into something.
He was trying to avoid thinking about... Her. Thinking about the incident in the empty classroom... Erika hadn't spoken about it really since, and although Felix took comfort in the fact they were acting the same as they always had with each other, he couldn't help but feel that the reason for this might be her trying to find a way to tell him that it was a mistake. An accident. a stress fuelled moment of panic, and nothing more. The radio host furrowed his brow with a sigh, turning the next page, before giving an exasperated sigh and leaning back in his chair with folded arms, the pastry still in hand. 
He was sat at an empty table in the cafeteria, since it wasn't a rush hour for the establishment it was relatively quiet; he pouted a little, taking another bite of the pastry as he stared at the open manual sadly. A few weeks ago, everything had seemed so simple. Now... Now everything felt like the calm before the storm. 

[François Laffont]

School was over for the day but Franck still lingered in the halls. He didn’t feel the need to head back home just yet. What good would it do anyway, his father was still at work at this hour. And it was not one of those days when he couldn’t stand people around him. Despite being a people person, he did have those moments when he just needed to get away. Mostly because of his power. He didn’t want to do something foolish because he picked up some feelings and was still reaction according to them. But today he had no such problem. So he could stick around a little longer.

When he saw Felix alone at a table, his head into some manual or whatever, Franck watched him for a moment. He was aware of what happened between Erika and Felix. Erika told him. It was one big mess. And Franck always had a soft spot for Felix. The man was gorgeous. Sure, Franck had more chances to make out with Brad Pitt than Felix but hey, he was still a nice eye-candy. It wasn’t like he wished to date him or something. He knew that would never happen. But he could look.

And Franck decided to do more than look right now. No, he didn’t intend to flirt. He wanted to talk with him. Hear his side of the story, trying to make it less confusing than it had been with Erika. Then again, it had been confusing mostly because she was confused about it all. He wondered how Felix felt about all of this. He couldn’t talk of it right off the bat though. He’ll have to find a way to subtly bring up the subject.

“If you keep staring at it like this, you’ll pierce holes with your eyes,” he commented when he finally joined Felix at his table. He gave him a brief smile before sitting down. He doubted Felix would really mind he invited himself in. He nodded towards the open manual. “What’s giving you a headache?”

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix took another bite, finishing of the pastry and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand to rid his lips of the excess sugar with a exasperated sigh. Things were certainly complicated... He wondered if he could give up for now, close the manual and just return to his room, or go for a walk. He felt as though he needed it, a wander outside in the fresh air where he could perhaps clear his head a little. He'd been about to move from his seat when he flinched, a little startled from his thought process by someone addressing him.

The radio host looked over to the sound's source, smiling brightly at the man who approached him and sat himself down. Francois... He was a close friend of Erika's... His best friend always spoke highly of him, of his kind and understanding nature... Something Felix had to agree with; And to be perfectly honest, he was thankful for the distraction. "I wasn't paying it too much attention really," He grinned with a slight chuckle, giving a casual shrug. "... Just... Everything. It's kind of been a hectic few weeks, don't you think?" He didn't particularly want to suddenly lay all of his issues on the poor guy, so being general about his feelings seemed to be the best option. After all, it had been a difficult time for all of them... Although he suspected it was particularly hard on Francois; he wouldn't only be suffering with his own feelings, but also picking up the worried feelings of others. "... How are you holding up? With your ability it must be hard... To have all of this negative atmosphere."

[François Laffont]

As a jumpy person himself, Franck often had a mixed feeling of amusement and being sorry whenever he caused others to startle. Of course, it was no surprise that Felix got surprised as he had been all into deciphering some manual and in the cafeteria, it was easy not to hear anyone coming your way. It was as loud as it could be during lunchtime, but it sure was not a quiet place.

He had to admit, whatever Felix was doing didn’t interest him so much. Not as much as learning more about what happened between him and Erika. He knew they kissed, he knew Erika was seeing someone else, he knew she was confused now. He wondered what Felix thought of it all.

Franck nodded in agreement to Felix’s words. Yes, the last few weeks had not been very easy for everyone. “My father is worrying even more than before. I swear, if I’m just a minute late, he’s ready to call the police. I don’t know, maybe he thinks some anti-mutants might have taken me and cut me in pieces before feeding me to pigs or something,” he said with a sigh. He loved his father. But he needed to stop worrying so much. It just made it worse for Franck. Franck wanted so much to appease his father that he was ready to ask teachers to finish their classes sooner just so he could be home and show him he was still alive and well.

He shrugged when Felix asked how he was holding up. It was true that at times, it was really depressing. “I try to cheer people up when I can. Plus I got Frank up my sleeve if I really feel too down,” he added. Frank Cox was a rainbow of awesome randomness. It was hard to stay down around her. She had helped him greatly. François looked at Felix. He licked his lips as he debated whether he should just ask him like that or not. “And how is it with you? You holding on okay?” he asked after a moment. That was a good prelude, no? He didn’t think it would be quite tactful to just go ‘Erika told me everything’. And Felix might not want to talk about it. Not that it would matter, Franck could pick up his feelings and come to a conclusion on his own.

[Felix Nicholas]

It was nice to be able to talk to someone... Felix slowly smiled, realising that perhaps he didn't need a lonely walk out on his own; Francois had this natural demeanor about him that seemed to just settle his feelings. Perhaps it was some aftereffect of his power? Likely not, it was more the gy himself was just an overall really decent person... It was a wonder what a friendly face could do.
Felix pouted a little, his expression softening at the other male's comment; felix's own Father had now upped his messages, ringing the radio host every day, often threatening to come to the Academy and take Felix home himself... He certainly didn't seem to think that the school was particularly safe, and Felix did have to both agree and disagree; while the school had quite a strong security system now, with a number of patrols day and night scouting the grounds, it didn't stop the obvious fact that the school was going to become a target one way or the other eventually, if ot by SPECTRE then at least by mutent hating activists. But despite this risk, Felix had no intention of leaving. He couldn't leave Erika, leave the Academy... Not when it needed help the most. "My Father's the same," He sighed, running a hand through his hair with a bit of an exasperated sigh. "He wants me home... But I'm not exactly just going to up and leave the Academy, not now." The radio host then grinned brightly, perking up at Francois's mention of Frank; that girl was certainly a law unto herself, which was what Felix loved about the girl... Francois himself too, trying his best to cheer up the hordes of depressed and uneasy staff and students alike, was another breath of fresh air. "Well you're already cheering me up, so consider that someone else ticked off the list!" Felix chuckled. His smile then faded a little at his next query; He could lie, certainly. Say he was perfectly fine... But of course, he'd be able to sense that. Unless... Okay, time to focus on happy thoughts, and push those worrying emotions and uneasy feelings to the back of your mind... "I'm holding up okay," He replied brightly with a casual shrug, silently hoping that the other male didn't notice his uneasiness. "Considering everything that's happened."

[François Laffont]

If all Franck could do was to know how others feel, it wouldn’t be so bad. He doubted it would change much about his personality, as he was one big people pleaser who’d still try to cheer them up every time he felt someone was down. But feeling it too, now it was one side of his power he could have lived without. Of course, his reaction could be different as everyone expressed their feelings in their own unique way. But that didn’t change how it could be embarrassing at times. Try to stay near a couple in love, being all cute and everything, kissing while giving each other pet names. Franck couldn’t, otherwise he’d start to feel the need to do the same. And that was awkward.

Of course, he didn’t want to think about it. It was a lot of work but he was able to focus on his own emotions. Or he simply had to go near someone with opposite emotions to balance things a little. He didn’t want to complain. Some had it much harder than him. Even about his father... No matter how much the man could annoy him with his overprotective nature, he knew where it came from. And it was a lot better than being all alone in the world. He nodded at what Felix told him about his own father. “Yeah mine’s kind of divided on the subject. Sometimes, he thinks making him stay at the school might be best because of the security, at others he just wants to run away from the town and pretend we were never here and I have no power,” he replied. He could not blame the man. He was trying to protect his only child. But Franck thought hiding would only delay the inevitable.

He laughed with Felix when he was told he managed to cheer him up a bit. Well, he was happy to hear that. It mustn’t be easy on him either. It was not for everyone. He expected however his next question to down him a little. That did not soften the feeling as the smile washed away from his friend’s face though. But it was a necessary evil. He could tell Felix was trying to find some happiness within himself but Franck did pick up the gloom before that. He nodded. “Erika did tell me a bit what happened,” he commented. He didn’t know a lot, but he would let Felix debate just how much Franck might know.

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix honestly didn't want to bother the poor guy with his problems, and knowing how naturally caring he was, Felix knew if he caught even a glimmer of unease or sadness, he'd take it upon himself to try and cheer the radio host up. He didn't particularly enjoy lying to others or hiding his feelings, but quite often he found it to be necessary... Felix didn't value his emotions much in comparison to the feelings of those he cared for, which was why he'd been trying to avoid speaking to Erika about what happened in fear of upsetting her, which was the last thing he wanted.
Felix was kept happy with the conversation shifting back from himself to the other male's Father, the radio host leaning back in his chair slightly as he grinned. "He's just worried for you, you know? I mean, I'M worried for us. For all of us," He replied, trying to keep the worry from his voice. "There's no telling how much longer it'll be until-" He paused there, not wanting exactly to express the idea that it might only be a matter of time before the government storms the Academy, locking them all up out of misplaced fear. "... Well, until we might end up having permanent SPECTRE agents watching our every move." He chuckled a little, trying to express that it was a joke despite the very obvious real potential of that situation.
Felix then blinked, his smile fading at Francois's revelation. He ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up slightly messier then usual as he grimaced a little. "... You do, huh?" He spoke softly, before shaking his head with a sigh, folding his arms. A gentle smile returned to his lips as he averting his gaze downward towards his lap. He knew... Erika must have told him everything, he had no reason to keep anything back from the guy; the whole incident was practically dancing all over one of Dirty Laundry's post as it was. Practically the whole Academy knew.
"... You must think I'm some inconsiderate idiot... I didn't mean to put Erika in this situation, I feel so guilty..." He spoke, now not bothering to block the welled up feeling of gloom e'd tried to block earlier. What was the point if Francois already knew? "... Maybe I am inconsiderate. I should have thought about what I was doing instead of just... Doing it."

[François Laffont]

Franck sighed heavily. Of course his father was worried about him. It just made it all harder on the boy. After all, it was not like Franck could do anything about it. Had there been a move or a clear order regarding mutants, at least they would know how to deal with all of this. But the plan seemed to be to wait. Or to come after any violent mutant but nothing else. It was unnerving. Will they try to kill them all, will they brand them, or send them all away, someplace the mutants would be on their own, away from the ‘normal’ people? No one knew really. “I know he does. We all are. I just wished there was something I could do to make it easier on him,” he replied to his friend. But wasn’t what everyone wished?

He stared at Felix as he paused. He knew exactly what he meant. How long before people who knew nothing of them decided of their fate, chose whether or not they would all label them as dangerous and have them killed, or stuck in some mad scientist’s lab to do tests on them? He sighed again. “Yeah I know,” he said in a whisper. He winced a moment, not liking the thoughts coming up in his head. “I get that they’re afraid but we’re not all bad. Most of us aren’t. We just want to live quiet lives. But they don’t know what to call us so we have to be evil,” he let out. Again, he thought of his mother. He thought a lot about her lately, and her fanaticism. He never thought he’d have to face a more harsh judgement than hers for being who he was.

He shrugged simply, as if this simple move could tell Felix that he shouldn’t have expected any less. Yes, they talked about what happened. He frowned a bit though as Felix took all the blame. Erika chose to take all as well. “You mean the kiss? You blame yourself for it?” he asked. Franck was pretty a few people thought about kissing Erika. Fair enough, only a few did, and she was single then. Still, to hear that he was the one doing it, when Erika let Franck believe she did... Now he was confused. “wait, you're the one who kissed her?”

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix hadn't wanted to realise all his problems onto his friend, especially as he knew the poor guy would end up likely feeling the same as Felix did; he hated the fact he'd cause Francois to suffer a little because of his own idiocy. He did speak up some of the issues Felix himself had thought on, that eventually it'll likely come down to the fact that simply because mutants were new and different, it was natural human nature to want to destroy them. Humans feared what which they didn't understand... History was proof of that. How long until they were all dragged off to some government facility, locked up? Experimented on? He had an uneasy feeling that it was going to be a question of "when" rather then "if" that happened.
his thoughts on the subject however were pushed aside as it became apparent that Francois knew exactly what had happened between him andErika, and seemed intent on discussing it. Felix kept his gaze on his lap, his expression softening as he gave another sigh; he lifted his eyeline up to meet Francois's when he questioned his exact involvement. "Oh? No, no, she kissed me," Felix confirmed, a faint pink seeping into his cheeks at the memory of that moment. "But I kissed her back... I made it worse. I shouldn't have kissed her back..." He didn't mean to come pouring out with all of this now, especially as he knew the unease and sadness was going to likely cross over to Francois. "Now we're both in this... Mess. She's going through so much, I just want to be able to help her, you know? But I'm a part of the problem." He groaned loudly, flopping forward and putting his forehead on the table with a sad sigh. "I'm an idiot, Francois. An total lovelorn idiot."

[François Laffont]

Franck stopped pretending talking about mutants and their condition and what people thought of them mattered to him right now. Well, sure it mattered. He was scared, just like everyone else. But this was not why he came to talk to Felix in the first place. And since they brought up the subject, he thought he could stop pretending he wanted to express his fear of what would lie ahead for them. Anyway, they could talk all they wanted about this, no one really knew what would happen in the end. Franck wanted to stay positive, or at least as positive as one could be given the circumstances. Therefore, he didn’t want to scare himself with things that might or might not happen.

Franck stared at his friend. He liked her. That just struck Franck in the face. Felix liked Erika. Why else would he blush at the mention of the kiss? Franck barely listened as Felix took the blame for kissing her back and making it all complicated. He was too busy thinking of the implications. Erika had no idea or didn’t seem to think Felix loved her. Felix kept talking but Franck, again, was listening only with one ear. What if Erika knew he liked her? He could tell she liked him, even though she loved Everett as well. But what if she was choosing Everett because she thought Felix didn’t share her feelings in the end? Al of that crazy emotional drama was going through his mind.

“You love her,” he finally let out just as Felix called himself an idiot. Franck didn’t want to make things even more complicated for anyone. But he did have a soft spot for Felix while he knew nothing of Everett. “Have you told her? I mean, it’s noble to step aside for the girl’s happiness in books but in real life...” he began to say but stopped. Who was he to meddle in their affairs? He suddenly felt like a Gossip Girl or something. He was embarrassed of this and turned his head aside. No, he better let them settle things on their own. She came to a decision after all. He didn’t want to make it all confusing again. “It annoys me though that the Dirty Laundry wrote about it. Now everyone’s talking of Erika as if she was one big drama queen or something,” he said with a sigh. Yeah, that he could talk. But he had to stop trying to deal with her love life, just because his was so boring lately.

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix felt terrible for pouring his heart out practically on a plate... It wasn't something he normally did, and certainly generally not by choice. He'd never thought his own feelings and emotions were important in comparison to the emotions of those he cared for, even now he was putting Erika's feelings before his own... He wanted to leave her to make her choice, so she could focus on what was right for her as opposed what was right for him.
He however froze, his eyes widening as he stared down at the surface of the table, his mind taking a moment to register Francois's words; You love her. At those words the butterflies in his stomach, which had seemed to have taken up residence there as of late, spiralled in a wild waltz. His brows knitted together, Felix remained staring at the table as his friend continued to speak, his words barely registering with the radio host... He was too focused on the first three.
You. Love. Her.
"... I love her?" He mumbled softly, more to himself then to Francois. He slowly raised his head up from the table, although his eyeline remained downward. "... I... Well I do, I've loved her for a long time, she's my best friend-" And then he paused, his eyes widening as he suddenly shot the French boy a sudden look of realisation. "... I'm in love with her, aren't I?!" He then settled bac kin his seat, his cheeks seeping a warmer pink as he ran a hand through his hair, gripping a chunk a little between his fingers. He was IN love with Erika... He'd been trying to dance around that fact for weeks now, and here Francois had made him face it head on. And here he was hoping to be able to so easily accept Erika choosing Everett... Who was he kidding?! It was going to hurt. It was going to hurt like heck. "... I-I I can't. How can I put that kind of pressure on her?! It's not fair..." He spoke with a slightly shaky sigh, relaxing his hold on his hair and folding his arms across his chest, his head bowed. "... I need her to choose what makes her happy. I won't have her choose me just to save hurting me."

[François Laffont]

In a way, Felix and Franck were very similar. They were always putting their feelings second, after those of the people who mattered to them. But here’s the thing: Felix mattered to Franck. And Franck could feel there was something troubling him, more than a normal person saying it because their best mate was frowning all the time instead of being their happy self. He could really feel what was going on inside of Felix right now, whether he wanted or not. So, since it was the case, Franck couldn’t see why they should remain quiet. Hell, if he could help him feel a bit better, Franck was ready to try.

Franck startled a little as Felix repeated what Franck had just told him. It came to him as evidence. He shifted on his seat as Felix questioned him about his feelings. Well questioning might not be the word for even if he did say it as a question, it seemed pretty clear to him. Did Franck say something he shouldn’t have? He could just picture Erika choosing Everett and Felix running to her while expressing his love for her. He didn’t want Felix to think Franck was the one who put things in his head. But he did get something. “Well, you’re definitely holding onto her...” he began to say, a little more hesitant than before when he blurted it out.

He frowned however when his friend decided to fold at the last minute. The way he talked, Franck almost expected the boy to excuse himself to find her straight away. But now he said he could not force it on her. Again, Franck felt the desire to intervene. He tried really hard not to. What if he made things more complicated than they already were? But Erika couldn’t take a decision without knowing all the facts, and if she was to choose one only because she thought the other had no feelings for her... “Of course, but how can she choose if you doesn’t know how you feel? I mean, what if it changes something?” he replied. Alright, maybe he was psyching him up a little too much here. He had no idea himself who she would choose. All he knew was that she seemed to like both and was confused. “She might still choose Everett and it will hurt but at least you can say you told her. Not saying anything doesn’t preserve her, it preserves you from getting hurt more should she choose the other one.” And now he felt like he was bringing him down. Could he ever find something to say that was in between?

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix wasn't use to this, to offering his heart out into the open. He hadn't even fully acknowledged the full extent of his feelings towards Erika before now, let alone spoken about them to anyone... But now that he had, Felix was beyond glad that it was to Franc. Out of everyone in his friend circles it was this guy that the radio host felt he could speak to on this highly personal level; Granted that honour generally went to Erika, but this wasn't something he could speak to her about. He simply couldn't... And he was already feeling increasingly guilty about inflicting his feelings upon his friend.
Felix remained looking down at his lap, his expression a mixture of worry and emotional confusion; He was only half listening to Franc, the butterflies in his stomach dancing so violently now it was a wonder he hadn't been sick. What could he do? After everything that was currently happening, all the panic and the chaos, he couldn't inflict this further pressure on Erika. What if she felt he was pushing her to make a choice?
He slowly looked to the male opposite him with knitted brows, with giving a soft sigh. He understood his point... And he knew Franc simply wanted him and Erika happy, if that was together as a couple or best friends. A sad smile crept across his lips as the radio host gave a small shrug, reaching out with one hand to pat Franc on the shoulder. "I understand what you're saying... But I just can't go running to her," He spoke, trying to seem upbeat but the miserable tones in his voice were clear. "We've all been through so much, and she's stressed to heck. ... It's not fair on her for me to, you know, storm in all knight in shining armour and declare my love." He then moved his hand away, chuckling a little at his own comment as he ran a hand through his hair. "It DOES sound like some silly romance movie."

[François Laffont]

Maybe it was the fact Franck was an empath that made people open up so easily to him. He could tell their feelings already, so why not explain why they felt that way, right? Franck had no problem with Felix having feelings for Erika. Yes, he did have a tiny crush on the guy, he was so good looking. But it was also obvious the guy was not interested in boys. He thought not only Felix was handsome but also charming and very nice, so of course he was ready to throw him at Erika. She was a gem and could deserve happiness. The only reason why he was not doing so right now with great pleasure was because he knew there was another guy involved and he didn’t want to cause an even bigger mess between them all. They might not like for him to meddle in, especially if it turns bad after he told them to jump in.

He knew Felix’s feelings all too well. Worry and confusion. He got it about everywhere he looked lately, although usually not because of a girl. But the feelings were still the same. And just as usual, Franck wanted to do something about it. He hated getting those feelings from around him. He wanted people to be happy. Maybe it was partially selfish, since it made him feel better too instead of being down all the time because of them. But he wanted to cheer people up. And Felix was part of said people.

“I’m not telling you to profess your unconditional love to her. But let’s be honest, if you say nothing, would you be able to pretend there’s nothing and not even once wonder what might have happened if?” he asked. He had no idea how it would turn out. He knew there was a great chance Felix might get hurt in this. Maybe Erika will be angry for him to make things more confusing. But Franck believed it was a lot of pain now then it’s over as opposed to a little pain continuing on forever. He knew what he’d choose. He had a smile when he compared this to a romance movie. “I told her the same thing,” he admitted.

He sighed heavily and looked at the manual Felix threw on the table when he arrived to talk to him. He played with a corner for a moment. “Is it always like that for teenagers or you think we’re just big drama magnets?” he asked. It was rhetorical but it did sound like a genuine question. Whatever answer, Franck wasn’t sure he would like it.

[Felix Nicholas]

It certainly did help to have a friend who was an empath, especially given Felix's natural tendency to keep his feelings bottled up
and known to him alone; He knew at his core that this wasn't exactly healthy for him in the long run, and that by keeping quiet about how he felt in soem situations was going to cause him a lifetime of disappointment and upset. But putting himself before others was simply not in his nature... Even if that person was a stranger on the street. He and Francois were similar... He knew how the guy did exactly the same, putting his own issues and feelings aside in order to emotionally aid others. Why the guy wasn't in a relationship yet was beyond Felix, but he didn't exactly feel like he had the right to pry into the boy's private business, and of course currently it wasn't exactly at the forefront of his mind. For once, his own issues were being discussed and heavily thought on.
Franc had a point... Felix's smile faded, his worried expression returning with an exasperated sigh as he drifted his eyeline downwards; the radio host knew he was right. If he didn't tell Erika exactly how he felt, wouldn't he regret it later? But then again,
what if telling her made things even more awkward if she chose Everett? This was why he tried not to deal with his own feelings...
They were quite a tangled mess. A frustrating, annoying, tangled mess. Erika must be feeling the same... If not worse. Would him speaking with her really help either of them? Franc seemed to think so... The radio host trusted him, and he knew Erika well, with the benefit of not being directly involved with the situation... Maybe he had a better view on it then he did. Perhaps he should tell her... And face the consequences like an adult.
He glanced back over to Franc, smiling a little as his friend did, before leaning forward on the table, resting his head in his arms, chuckling slightly. "No idea, Franc my man," He replied, a tone of sadness to his voice. "I suppose it's harder when you're younger since it's your first experiences of romance and love, so it's kind of all new and unfamiliar. You don't know quite how to react, so you make more mistakes."